Knowledge Management Specialist at the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

JOB TITLE: Knowledge Management Specialist

JOB LOCATION: Abuja

JOB DETAILS:
Background:

• UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for children’s rights. Child rights begin with safe shelter, nutrition, and protection from disaster and conflict and traverse the life cycle. UNICEF strive to ensure that all children are born alive, stay safe and keep learning.
• For 70 years, UNICEF has endeavored to improve the lives of children and their families. Working with and for children through adolescence and into adulthood requires a global presence that aims to produce results and monitor their effects. UNICEF also lobbies and partners with leaders, thinkers, and policymakers to help all children realize their rights, especially the most disadvantaged.

Purpose Of the Job

• The Knowledge Management Specialist ensures that UNICEF Nigeria has a strategic approach and culture on knowledge management in line with the rights and results-based programming approach of UNICEF and ensures that valid and reliable information, lessons learned and knowledge products on the situation of children’s and women’s rights are disseminated and utilized for programme designing and child rights advocacy; relevant, effective and timely use of programme lessons and insights for strategic and programmatic decision making, including insights for coverage, coordination, and coherence in emergency contexts.
• The Knowledge Management Specialist will lead the implementation of a structured knowledge management approach based on the global and NCO knowledge management strategy, which will be inclusive of and responsive to the needs of the Country Office at both central and field levels. This position will work closely with the Planning, Monitoring and Reporting (PMR), Evaluation, Communication and Advocacy, programme sections and field offices teams as well as with UNICEF regional office leads on knowledge management.
• The incumbent will be responsible for implementing a framework/approach to (i) systematically establish UNICEF as a center of knowledge on children in Nigeria; (ii) continuously identify and promote opportunities for innovation that deliver results for children; and (iii) support the sharing of promising and good practices and lessons learned. A key deliverable of this position is supporting the roll-out of the UNICEF Knowledge Management Strategy via the Office KM Implementation Plan.
• The incumbent will be responsible for the development, oversight and maintenance of systems, tools and products that support effective knowledge management. This will include internal and external platforms for knowledge sharing and exchange, and the continuous sharing of successes, failures and lessons learned.
• The incumbent will document UNICEF’s strategic approaches in Nigeria, synthesize assessments, research, and studies in order to generate and disseminate common lessons learned and identify, share and document promising and good practices.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties or tasks

• Promotion of a country programme-wide culture on knowledge management and learning
• Develop/ update an operational action plan for Knowledge for Use (K4U) of the country programme, covering both field and country programme level strategy, including a strategy for internal and external dissemination.
• Ensure that KM needs are systematically identified and integrated across organizational processes and aligned to organizational goals.
• Update country programme accountability matrix to include KM roles and responsibilities at the field and country programme level.
• Ensure adequate incentives around KM are in place including recognition of knowledge champions.
• Build capacities of staff members on KM.
• Build knowledge management activities into programme and operations work plans to more clearly articulate how KM leads to enhanced programme effectiveness, and results.
• Act as liaison amongst various teams on KM and ensure coordination mechanisms on KM are developed, well understood and properly applied by all programme and operations staff.

 Strengthened organizational systems and tools for KM:

• Review existing systems and tools in place for KM and share best practices in their use.
• Develop guiding principles for engagement in communities of practice;
• Support the rollout of UNICEF’s Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system, including creating document repositories, designing content on the intranet, etc.
• Liaise with the communications team to ensure content linkages with UNICEF’s external facing website;
• Champion the use of ECM and encourage knowledge sharing on the use of ECM between sections and across state offices.

Support to Knowledge Networks and Forums:

• Conduct an in-depth review of existing thematic networks aimed at providing space for dialogue, seminars, and lectures for knowledge exchange of best practices and innovations with external partners; Identify gaps and suggest specific measures for improvement.
• Create new knowledge-sharing networks (i.e. knowledge management champions) and continue to strengthen and build on best practices documented from existing networks and knowledge-sharing forums (i.e. sectoral network meetings, CMTs internal reviews, etc.);
• Update and review available guidelines and templates on internal programme effectiveness and programme excellence/innovation best practices.
• Identify external partners who can support best practice documentation in line with agreed quality standards.

Impact of Results:

• The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Officer to the Country Management Team and the wide range of stakeholders contribute to the successful knowledge management and lessons learned from programmes that in turn result in improved programme effectiveness and national stakeholders’ development planning, performance and achievement of concrete and sustainable results for children in Nigeria.
• Effective knowledge management system and a culture of learning enhances UNICEF’s capacity and credibility in delivering highly effective programmes and concrete and sustainable results that directly improve services to mothers and children in the country.

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Provide technical support and guidance to UNICEF teams and government counterparts on data management best practices.
• Regularly monitor program consistency and data quality to ensure compliance with project management standards.
• Prepare and present data-driven reports to support project reporting
• Provide timely and accurate data insights to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of social protection initiatives.

Minimum requirements
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• An Advanced University Degree in Social Sciences, Organizational Development, Public Administration, Knowledge Management or a related social science field is required or an additional five years of relevant experience in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Five years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme planning, and monitoring. Practical experience in emergency programming, including preparedness planning and active involvement in a humanitarian crisis response programme, is an asset.
• Knowledge of Rights and Results-based Management and knowledge management.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in facilitating participatory reflection and learning processes, programme reviews and documenting lessons learned.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in knowledge management and communications.
• Professional technical knowledge/expertise in the knowledge management methodology and facilitation techniques, including theories, standards and models, quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness
• Professional/technical knowledge/expertise in Team Management, Coaching & Training.
• Mastery of UNICEF’s KM policies and procedures.
• Understanding of UN Mission and system, current key UN topics; and the International Code of Conduct
• Understanding of UNICEF Mission Statement and UNICEF Guiding Principles.
• UNICEF policies, and strategies promoting and supporting gender equality and diversity.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

HOW TO APPLY
To apply for the ongoing United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund job opening, visit the job APPLICATION PORTAL to submit your application!